EDC used to mean something very specific. Ask any survival enthusiast and they'll tell you it stands for EveryDay Carry, the essential tools you keep on hand at all times. A Swiss Army knife. A multi-tool. A compact flashlight. Things built for the unpredictable, the inconvenient, and the emergency. The whole point was physical survival, and the design language to match: rugged, matte, built to last.
Twelve South, maker of premium mobile accessories, just released a first for the brand: a desktop valet with a wireless charging puck and organizing space, constructed of genuine Nappa leather. The valet is expressly premium, with a solid build and rubberized stoppers that keep it stationary on any surface. It features a weighted zinc alloy base, making it quite heavy, weighing a total of 2.3 pounds.
Thankfully, both the front and motherboard sides of the case support up to three fans each, with room for massive radiators. There are enough options that I actually spent quite a bit of time agonizing over how I wanted to configure my fans. I ended up mounting my giant cooler on the side of the case and installed three fans in the bottom for intake, which isn't my favorite setup as a dog owner, but the magnetic filter has been easy enough to keep clean.
Though once it was up and running, I instantly took to the design. The ease of switching between sitting and standing let me do it regularly throughout the workday, which I found gave me a little extra pop of energy. With respect to the desk's movement, Branch takes pride in its low decibel motors and I did find the desk to be relatively quiet when adjusting from sitting to standing; it had the hum of a low-powered fan.
Here's how it works: First, plug the Sleek Socket cover into the top plug on your outlet. A thin white wire leads from the socket cover to a power strip, which is where all of your plugs will go before being tucked away behind a small appliance, large piece of furniture, or another item. Every Sleek Socket includes an adhesive kit to securely fasten the white wire to the wall and create a neat, streamlined look (and reviewers say it's renter-friendly).
My basement office was a mess. Cables covered every surface, my Mac Mini ate up desk real estate, and simple tasks like finding a pen became treasure hunts. Instead of buying expensive furniture, I tackled the problem with five specific upgrades that cost under $250 total. Now I actually enjoy working down here and feel like I've increased my productivity tenfold.
If you're of a certain age, you might remember the "you got chocolate on my peanut butter" commercials for Reese's. "You put charging ports in my monitor stand" might not have the same catchy ring to it, but the result is the same - two great items combining to create one unbeatable one, like the Anker 675 USB-C Docking Station and Monitor Stand, which is at an all-time low price of $170 right now at Amazon. As desktop multitasking goes, this is next-level stuff.
